Strawberry/Cashew Cream Pie!

 This is a Strawberry/Cashew Cream Pie! I added mangoes too because I love the strawberry/mango combo and it added color! The crust is an almond/date/honey/shredded coconut mixture. The filling is strawberry puree and psyllium. The Cashew Cream frosting is made with cashews, agave, coconut water and vanilla extract. This is a recipe by Wendy Rudell and I have been wanting to make it for a very long time!

The aftermath of my kitchen!!!! But don't worry, it did not take too long to clean!!

At one point my blender exploded cashew cream frosting everywhere because the consistency became too thick for my blender to breathe... this is why I need a Vitamix! Anyway, I ended up getting frosting all over my face, eyelids, hair and the kitchen! Its all part of cooking... right?

I had some extra crust mixture since my dessert pan was smaller than the recommended. I rolled the mixture and rubbed it into shredded coconut to put in the dehydrator. I also decided to dehydrate the rest of the mangoes (my boyfriend loves dehydrated fruit!)

Raw Goodness

 Sprouted Garbanzo Beans!! They do not taste like the canned beans and it took me a while to get used to them at first but now I prefer the raw and living natural taste!

 A Raw Smoothie/Juice bar my cousin took me to in Hollywood :-) Best breakfast ever.. I wish they had juice bars in Indianapolis!!

 RAW Hummus- recipe from the Rawvolution uncookbook by Matt Amsden. It was made with Zucchini instead of garbanzo beans and it was delicious! The onion crackers/chips were also from a recipe in Rawvolution however it was supposed to be their "famous onion bread." I think I spread the mixture too thin on my dehydrator sheets but that was ok because they tasted great crunchy and the flavor/texture went well with the hummus.

3 Day Smoothie/Juice Fast

I have been reading The Natural Way to Vibrant Health by Dr. Norman W. Walker. This book breaks down the understandings of digesting food on a physical and chemical basis. I have learned that my colon, liver, and many other areas of my body are overworked with trying to digest, rid of toxins, and push through my system the years of build up fried starch and the like from the SAD diet. The best way to give the digestive organs a break so the colon may have a chance to filter out excess waste lining the walls of the intestines is to refrain from eating for a while- fasting, or do a juice fast! I decided to do a 3 or more day juice/smoothie fast where the majority of my food intake is blended or juiced in the liquid form. Eating food in the liquid form makes it easier for food and nutrients to pass through your body and juicing your food helps get rid of the fibers that your intestines need to squeeze constantly to try and get all the nutrients out. I have been drinking a juiced beet/carrot/sweet potato/ginger mixture, along with a blended energy soup, carrot/cucumber/wheatgrass juice, and tons of filtered water! For breakfast, I have been eating as much watermelon as possible. Watermelon helps clean out the system if eaten on an empty stomach. You can also do enimas or colon cleansing if you have the tools or a practiced Naturopathic doctor handy.

 Raw Energy Soup!

1 Cup Spinach

1/2 cup Kale

teaspoon of Raw Coconut Aminos

1/2 cup of juiced wheat grass with cucumber

1/4 cup red cabbage

1/4 cup celery juice or more
1 small apple (or you can juice it)

shelled hemp seeds

2 big cloves garlic

fresh ginger

1/2 lemon to taste

1/2 or whole lime to taste

tumeric, cumin, and kelp to taste

cracked black pepper

Himalayan pink salt

filtered water if needed

Blend all ingredients on high listed above

Add in 1/2 cup or more alfalfa sprout and one avocado and blend slowly

Garnish with alfalfa sprouts, dulse flakes, and soaked garbanzo beans

note: can add soaked garbanzo beans in soup to give it substance to chew on when eating

 My Juicer, wheatgrass, next to my new 9 tray dehydrator!! There are kale chips dehydrating inside!!!

Mistakes along the way, but it's part of the Journey...

It has been a while since I last posted and let me tell you its been an up and down journey when it came to eating raw foods. There was a period of time when I would go back and forth by the weeks from mostly raw, then the next week to mostly the SAD diet. I could literally feel my body being poisoned when I would fill it with processed cheese, milk chocolate, and chips. What's worse is that I could not stop. The food I was eating came from the groceries my boyfriend bought.  I was on a low budget that week and my job was stressing me out. I found myself in an unbreakable pattern of eating more and more when I felt stressed, and in result I lost my connection from my mind to body. I felt bloated, gassy, unattractive, and emotionally unbalanced. I especially felt groggy, tired, and I had a headache. My organs were do extra work to remove all the toxins from the food I was eating! Aaand I could hardly use the bathroom. Thank God I was going to the Creative Health Institute in Michigan for a weekend for Raw Chef 1 courses to earn a certificate in as a raw food chef! 

That weekend was the most positive energy filled weekend of my entire life. I learned about some of the interns there: one who had rare blood/heart disease who had once heard she had 2.5 years left to live, another had multiple sclerosis, one had almost died of lymph nod cancer, and all had healed themselves by a eating 100% RAW & LIVING FOOD DIET. The healing energy there was amazing. The Living Food helped clear out the toxins in my system from my addiction to the SAD diet (although the food we ate was rich in nuts and all nut based, it was harder to digest than a normal raw diet because we were learning gourmet cooking and needed to taste everything as chefs.) When I got home, I focused on eating mostly raw foods with the exception here and there. 

A most exciting event in the history of my life occured yesterday which will mark a new era of uncooking opportunites for me: I receieved my first 9 tray excalibur food dehydrator in the mail!!! Now I will have the pleasure of satisfying my salty cravings with crispy kale chips and the like... I have my first batch dehydrating right now!!

Since I started eating mostly Raw/Living for the past three weeks, I lost my cravings to stuff my face with chips, chocolate, and cheese. I feel more connected to my body than ever- I have a ton of energy and I feel less bloated and more flexible. I still feel the need to eat when work stresses me out but I have more control over the situation now. I hope to continue on this path and journey to help completely detoxify my system and achieve optimal health!